Australian High Commission to introduce label-free visas

4 February 2010

The Australian High Commission’s Immigration section is pleased to announce that it will be introducing, from 8 March 2010, label-free visas for the majority of visa applicants from Fiji, making Fiji one of the first South Pacific nations to have access to label-free.

Label-free will allow fast processing of visa applications and longer visa validity.

The new label-free visas will bring Fiji in line with many other countries where the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) has introduced other label-free visa systems such as the electronic travel authority (ETA) and eVisa.

Although most applicants will no longer have visa labels placed in their passports, details of the type of visa approved and the period for which the visa is valid will be recorded in the DIAC computer systems as currently occurs. These computerised records are available to airline staff at airports for verification when passengers check in to board a flight to Australia.

The Immigration Section at the High Commission in Suva is in discussions with relevant stakeholders including airlines and travel agents to ensure their preparedness of this change.

Visa types covered by the new system will include, among a number of others, those for tourists, business short stay and permanent migration. A list of all visa types currently covered by the change is available at www.fiji.embassy.gov.au. The list will be expanded in the coming months.

Fiji citizens wishing to apply for a visa to travel to Australia will continue to lodge their applications at the Australian High Commission in Suva either in person or through a courier.

Where visa applicants lodge applications through a third party, such as a travel agent, applicants should ensure they receive a copy of their payment receipt as evidence that their application has been lodged.

If the visa application is refused, applicants will receive a formal decision letter from the High Commission’s Immigration Section.

After arriving in Australia, people with label-free visas can always update themselves on the terms of their visas by using the Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) system.

ENDS